Koné enjoying PSV golden touch

Arouna Koné was delighted that his tremendous goalscoring form continued as PSV Eindhoven's 2-0 win against Galatasaray SK put them into the knockout stage.

Winning momentum
The dismissal of Galatasaray's Croatian defender Stjepan Tomas after just 38 minutes tipped the tie mightily in PSV's favour, but Ronald Koeman's side showed they had too many aces up their sleeves to come off second best long before that. Ultimately goals from Timmy Simons and Koné sealed their progress, alongside Liverpool FC, from UEFA Champions League Group C.

Lethal duo
PSV's solid defence, built around the Brazilian axis of keeper Heurelho Gomes and central defender Alex, has been much lauded over the past few seasons, but it is the lethal attacking tandem of Koné and Jefferson Farfán, from Ivory Coast and Peru respectively, that worries opposition rearguards the most. Koné, in particular, has flourished of late, adding clinical finishing to his tremendous strength on the ball and mesmeric dribbling.

Seven in five
All of these talents were clearly on display when he scored late on last night to put the tie well and truly out of the reach of Erik Gerets' team. The strike, his seventh in five games, capped another great performance. "It's hard to explain why as a striker you suddenly start scoring more," he said. "I'm just feeling confident and happy that the team is playing well."

Perfect match
Midfielder Ibrahim Afellay was full of praise for his front men. "Having guys like Arouna and Jefferson in front of you means there are always plenty of options," said the 20-year-old. "Both are extremely dangerous and never give defences a moment's rest."

Inevitable breakthrough
Simons, who opened the scoring just before the hour mark, acknowledged that his team's breakthrough was becoming more inevitable as the game progressed. "We put them under pressure and fully deserved the victory," he said. "In the end we could have actually scored a good deal more." This is a side visibly growing in stature and brimming with confidence. "We can go to Anfield and beat Liverpool [on Matchday 5]," Koné added. "We want to finish first in this group."